Applying a Windows Update

Published: June 11, 2010

Updated: June 11, 2010

Applies To: Windows 7, Windows Vista

This walkthrough topic describes a scenario of an organization that is planning to deploy a Windows® update into its environment, but first requires a more detailed assessment of the potential compatibility issues. For this walkthrough, you must deploy the associated data-collection package (DCP) to at least one of your client computers that is running one of the following operating systems:

Windows® 7

Windows Vista® with Service Pack 1 (SP1) or Service Pack 2 (SP2)

Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) or Service Pack 3 (SP3)

Windows Server® 2008 R2

Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) or Service Pack 2 (SP2)

Microsoft Windows® 2000 with Service Pack 4 (SP4) and Update Rollup 1

Phase 1: Collecting Your Inventory and Compatibility Data

In this phase, you will create a new DCP that will collect your organization's inventory, which includes information about computers, devices, installed applications, and associated compatibility issues.

To collect your software and hardware inventory

Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.6, and then click Application Compatibility Manager.

On the Collect screen, click New on the File menu.

The New <DCP_Name> dialog box appears.

In the Package Name box, type Inventory_for_Updates.

In the Evaluate compatibility when area, click Applying Windows Updates.

Click Advanced.

The Advanced Settings dialog box appears.

Clear the Update Compatibility Evaluator, and then click OK.

The Advanced Setting dialog box closes.

In the When to monitor application usage area, do not change the default options, but change the Duration to 10 Minutes.

In the Output Location box, do not change the default value, previously specified in the ACT Configuration Wizard.

The dialog box changes to show the applications that will send and will receive information from Microsoft during the synchronization process.

Note

You can disable specific applications from the synchronization process, so that you do not share the related issue data with Microsoft, or your assessment ratings with the ACT Community. For more information, see Selecting Your Send and Receive Status.

Return to the Analyze screen and review the updated issue data for your applications.

To collect your application compatibility data

On the Collect screen, click New on the File menu.

The New <DCP_Name> dialog box appears.

In the Package Name box, type Update_Deployment.

In the Evaluate compatibility when area, click Applying Windows Updates.

In the Output Location box, do not change the default value, previously specified in the ACT Configuration Wizard.

On the File menu, click Save and Create Data Collection Package.

Save the compiled DCP to your desktop.

As done previously, deploy your DCP and synchronize your data.

Phase 2: Analyzing Your Compatibility Data

In this phase, you will organize your application data by using priorities, categories and subcategories, and you will organize your Windows updates by using severity ratings. After organizing your data, you will be able to filter your compatibility data, to determine which applications or Windows updates might have compatibility issues, and to view the information in customized reports.

Prioritizing Your Application Data

In this section, you will prioritize your application data, based on the importance of the application or update to your organization. For more information, see Prioritizing Your Data.

The available priority levels are:

Priority 1 - Business Critical. The highest priority level. Business-critical items are so important to your organization that, unless you certify them, you will not deploy the updated operating system.

Priority 2 - Important. The priority level for applications, Web sites, computers, devices, and updates that your organization regularly uses but can continue to function without. You can choose to deploy the updated operating system without requiring certification.

Priority 3 - Nice to Have. The priority level for applications, Web sites, computers, devices, and updates that do not fall into the previous two categories but that you want to appear in your ACT compatibility reports. You will deploy the updated operating system regardless of certification.

Priority 4 - Unimportant. The priority level for applications, Web sites, computers, devices, and updates that are basically irrelevant to your organization's daily functions. You can use this priority level to filter out the unimportant items from your reports.

Unspecified. The default priority level, which is automatically assigned to all applications, Web sites, computers, devices, and updates. You can use this priority level to denote applications that have not yet been reviewed for deployment.

To prioritize your applications

On the Analyze screen, click Applications from the Update Impact Reports heading in the Quick Reports pane.

Although Sales is a subcategory, when you select the check box, it automatically selects the parent category. If you assign a category, you must assign one or more subcategories.

Selecting Your Severity

In this section, you will select your organization's severity rating for the Windows update. You can use the severity rating to specify which updates might be problematic, and how severe that problem might be for your organization. For more information about creating and using severity assessments, see Selecting Your Severity Assessment Rating.

To create a new severity rating

On the Analyze screen, click Updates from the Update Impact Reports heading in the Quick Reports pane.

The Updates screen appears.

On the Actions menu, click Set Severity.

The Set Severity dialog box appears.

Click Severity List.

The Severity List dialog box appears.

Click Add, type Unimportant, and then press the ENTER key.

Click OK to close the Severity List dialog box.

Click OK to close the Set Severity dialog box.

To select a severity rating

On the Updates screen, click the Windows update that is listed first in the right pane, and then click the Set Severity button.

The Set Severity dialog box appears.

Click Unimportant, and then click OK.

Filtering Your Data

In this section, you will create filter to display your application data based on your priority, category, and subcategory selections. After filtering your data, you can view the results as a customized report, tailored to your organizational requirements. For more information, see Filtering Your Compatibility Data.

To create a customized filter

On the Analyze screen, click Applications from the Update Impact Reports heading in the Quick Reports pane.